The bold lip

Just like there are trends in clothing, there are make up trends. Ok, You know this. Great.

One of the biggest trend questions in respect of make up is “the lips” or “the eyes”? That is, makeup trends cycle back and forth between the lips and the eyes. When one is having a moment, the other takes a back seat. The trick is to know which trend is current ATM.

Currently, the lip is the winner – specifically, "the bold lip" which makes lipstick a consistent focal point, even with casual wear.

One of the earliest places it appeared was in J Crew catalogs, which have been showing the look for a while. There was a recent catalogue where fresh-faced models in slim pencil skirts and faded skinny jeans wore hard-to-miss orangey-red lipstick.

"There's something incredibly modern about clean skin, pulled back hair and a strong lip," says James Boehmer, director of global artistry for NARS Cosmetics. Amen.

Think of the bold lip as an accessory.

It can be difficult to pull off the bold lipstick look, though. Some women tend to overdo it, because they don't tone down the rest of their makeup. And it is high maintenance, requiring frequent touch-ups and spot checks for smudging.

Lipstick used to be a spontaneous pick-me-up. Leonard Lauder coined the idea of a “Lipstick Index” a decade ago to show how lipstick sales rise in a bad economy. This theory didn't completely pan out in the latest downturn, though. Now nail polish, with a lower price tag and a broader range of colors, is the frugal splurge. Nevertheless, lipstick may be less price sensitive because it is only bought every three to six months.

Bold lipstick goes hand-in-hand with an emphasis on bold color in fashion this season. Designers from high end to high street showed neon lips with their brightly hued spring runway shows.

Makeup can provide the same eye-popping effect. "You get one super-bright great lipstick that's the exact right color for you and you've completely changed your look," says Nicole Masson, vice president of global product development for MAC Cosmetics. Fashion and style blogs often suggest women "add a red lip" to give an ensemble an extra oomph.

The Bold Lip in Four Steps

1. Use textured lip cream to buff away dry or flaky skin.

2. Lip primer, much like paint primer, helps keep the color in place.

3. Don't use a lip liner that matches the lipstick color. Instead, opt for a clear liner, to set boundaries without the severe line.

4. Use a lip brush to help control the amount of lip color applied. Or use lipstick straight from the tube for a more dramatic matte look.

I know girls who wear the same shade every day and buy multiple tubes at a time, keeping one at home, one at work and one in their purse. Like a signature colour.

The bold lip requires some courage at first. "I had always been a Chapstick kind of girl," says Jenny Rauch, a 24-year-old in Arlington, Va., who works in television ad sales. She tried easing into the new look with colorful glosses but eventually just went all in, with a bright-red shade from CoverGirl. "It didn't look like me," Ms. Rauch says. "It was a bit alarming." But after getting a few random compliments on the street, Ms. Rauch moved beyond the awkwardness. Now, she says she is known among her co-workers for her red lipstick. She doesn't wear it every day, though, she says. "I'm still growing into it."

There are steps women can take to make a bold signature lipstick work, says Sarah Lucero, a makeup artist for Stila Cosmetics, who gave models wine-colored lips during New York Fashion Week. Keep the rest of the face simple—clean eyebrows, minimal blush—and avoid colored lip liner if possible. If you must, she suggests adding it at the end, to even out imperfections. "It should not look like you've stolen your grandma's red lipstick," she says.

Some women couldn't get the look to work because they were adding bold lipstick without dialing back the rest of their features, resulting in a heavily made-up look, á la old Hollywood. To avoid overdoing it, apply lipstick before tackling the eyes – that way will be easier to get the hang of where enough is enough.

But lets face it, the only real rule is whatever you do, have fun with it.